Tag Archives: Kathy Biggs

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Autumn is the time of year that female Dragonflies and Damselflies lay their eggs, usually on aquatic plants or directly on still water. The eggs will hatch in a few days to a few weeks, and the nymphs will begin the underwater portion of their life cycle. Craig Tooley witnessed something different. Craig wrote, “This Dragonfly seem to be laying eggs in this log. It would fly and then bend the tail down just like the ones that were laying eggs in the water. I'm not sure what kind of dragonfly this is. Something interesting last night - I thought the bogeyman was scratching at the window and it turned out it was a Dragonfly attracted by the light of the TV. He particularly seem to like the TV more than just having the lights on in the room. I experimented a little bit and the TV light seem to be what was drawing it in.”

I sent Craig’s photo and sighting to Kathy Biggs, author of “Common Dragonflies of California,” asking if she had seen this before. She wrote back, “Oh yes! This is very common behavior for a Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) female, and Variable Darner (A. interrupta) females do it too. They use wet wood in the fall. The assumption is that the water level will eventually rise and the wood is a safe place for the egg. Only one egg laid per placement. Interesting about the TV light. I know that sleeping dragonflies sometimes get woken up at night by nearby lights.... but a TV! Wow!!”

Interesting! Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo and to Kathy for her expertise. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

You can get Kathy's great reference booklet at the Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore - https://www.foureyedfrog.com/

ooo, it's raining and there is already over .60 inches in my gauge.

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Rozanne Rapozo visited the lagoon of the Gualala River a few weeks and she found dragonflies. For many of us, dragonflies are difficult to photograph because they move so fast. But Rozanne got a wonderful photo of what I thought were mating dragonflies. You will see they are reflected in the river.

I sent Rozanne’s photo to Kathy Biggs. Kathy wrote the book Common Dragonflies of California. She wrote, “Beautiful image of ovipositing Variegated Meadowhawks. They have already mated and now he is tandem guarding her as she lays their eggs. If he didn’t stay guarding her, another male might grab her and remove his sperm, so they stay in tandem. This is a migratory species but these two look pretty fresh still. SUCH a gorgeous photo!"

Rozanne got another photo of these two beauties.

Isn't this fascinating? Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

We had a little misting rain this morning, but blue skies are now the order of the day!

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Ray Douglas recently photographed this lovely dragonfly, a Flame Skimmer.

Ray and I wondered about the yellow color at the top of the dragonfly's wings. Dragonfly expert, Kathy Biggs, to the rescue. She said Ray photographed a female.

For comparison, here is what I believe is a male. He nicely landed on a sprinkler head and I got this photo.

I wrote an article for Sonoma Magazine's summer edition about where to see dragonflies. You can read it at this link: http://sonomamagazine.ca.newsmemory.com/?selDate=20190701&editionStart=Sonoma+Magazine&goTo=040

Thanks to Ray for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

It's sunny and warm at our place in Anchor Bay, though a fog bank lurks over the ocean!

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I've been working on an article about dragonflies and I've learned so many interesting facts about them. They evolved over 300 million years ago, long before dinosaurs. Craig Tooley sent along several photos that he has taken over the years. One of them was this beauty, which Kathy Biggs identified as a Variegated Meadowhawk.

My, what purple eyes you have, Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly!

Here's a photo I took of a Flame Skimmer, which landed on top of a sprinkler head in my garden, and posed long enough for me to get a photo.

Then the dragonfly, moved, turned around, and let me get a photo of the back.

I love these creatures! Kathy Biggs has a great booklet out entitled "Common Dragonflies of California, a Beginner's Pocket Guide." I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. You can see much more of Craig's nature photography at www.ruffimage.com